Orji-Oko UzorIntroduction
Any good marketer will tell you, people buy stories, not products! That’s the same thing with restaurants. Every restaurant needs a good story, and as a restaurant owner, you must be good in telling yours. Instagram is the perfect channel to tell your story. Along with being able to share mind blowing pictures of your restaurant’s amazing food. The platform allows you build a community, foster engagement and tell your captivating brand story.
Have someone ever told you that social media is the second most popular way that consumers find restaurants?
That’s the reason why restaurants need a comprehensive social media marketing strategy. And that restaurant Instagram marketing. If you post high-quality photos, publish consistently and interacte with followers. Know this you’re already on the right track. But you shouldn’t stop there! It’s time to give your strategy more boost.
That’s why this article is here. For you to start your restaurant Instagram marketing today. In this article, we will look at the following:
- How do you market a restaurant on Instagram?
- Steps to master Instagram restaurant marketing
- Learn from restaurants killing it on Instagram
- Creative Instagram restaurant marketing ideas
- Ways to grow your restaurant’s Instagram followers & engagement
How do you market a restaurant on Instagram?
Stay On brand
This has to do with both your voice and aesthetic. Adhere to a particular tone in all your posts, and create a page that will encompass your brand’s look. For instance, let’s say you operate a whiskey bar that only opens at night and with jazz performances. Your page can have a sultry look with pictures that will feature dark wood, glasses of whiskey, and pictures of musicians. The captions can be witty. Perhaps have an informative tone that talk about the science of whiskey and the history of jazz. On the other side, if you own a fast-casual spot. Your page can feature brightly lit photos with short captions. What is more important is that you are very consistent on your page. With this, guests and followers will feel fulfilled when they see that your restaurant brand keeps offering what they have grown to expect of it.
Be searchable (#hashtag)
First get an easily recognizable Instagram username. Make use of relevant business keywords in your profile that will help increase your search results. Always tag posts with hashtags. Make sure they are relevant to your brand, image, and location so users can easily find you.
Integrate Instagram with other advertising
Overlap your Instagram account with all of your social media accounts. Even when a user doesn’t follow you on Instagram, they might still follow you on Facebook or Twitter. Share photos on all your networks to increase views and gain followers.
With the following, you will gain more followers:
Utilize Instagram’s embed feature
This user-friendly web embed feature will give you the opportunity to simply copy and paste an Instagram photo’s code. So you can easily place the image on your website or blog.
Stay Twitter friendly
Keep your Instagram caption word count more more than 280 characters. Any caption longer than itwill be cut off when someone shares one of your photos on Twitter.
Post your Instagram handle around your space
You need to print your Instagram account name and Twitter handle on your in-restaurant menu. This way, customers need only to look at the menu to tag you in their latest foodie post. Also display your accounts on your sidewalk sign as well, for those who walk or drive by your establishment.
Interact with followers and reward them
Always ask for customer opinions.
When offering a new ice cream flavor, beverage, or dish? Ask your customers to assist you name it! When you engage your customers in the process. They’ll feel compelled to continue following you to know the end result of the contest.
Hold photo challenges
Encourage your customers to share photos and add your restaurant tag. Ask followers to post an iconic image of their meal at your restaurant with your business name tagged in the photo. At the end offer winners gift cards, a free meal, or a similar reward.
Reward customer shares
Encourage Instagram users that has more than 300 followers to post a photo that will mention your restaurant. Reward them with a free treat! After all, they just assisted in advertising your restaurant to potential customers for free.
Make your space and dishes Insta-worthy
With this, not only will you have more quality shots to take. But your guests will be more likely to take pictures and share them. That’s when your food business has attractive dishes and interesting decor. So consider upping your plate presentation, or better still install some new decor. Like plant walls, flowers on the tables, or twinkle lights. Charming decor will create an intriguing backdrop and vibe that your guests will love to capture. And they will likely tag your business in the photo, especially when they easily find your Instagram handle.
Share videos and stories
Videos and stories will allow you to take your customer interaction one step further. They will give you the chance to share behind-the-scenes action. They equally add a personal touch and make your followers feel involved.
Steps to master Instagram restaurant marketing
Use the power of Instagram video
Move behind video on Instagram and you’ll soon call us to thank us for the increase in restaurant bookings. You can share your videos in two different ways on Instagram: Instagram stories and Instagram live. With stories, share some quick clips of your restaurant. For instance, behind the scenes of a busy food service, post some footage of great ambience one night.
With Instagram Live, you might go more detail to support your brand values. Take your followers on a live engaging restaurant tour or share the provenance of ingredients on your new menu addition. Video is instantly engaging, so it’s a perfect way to share the life behind your brand, as well as your unique values.
Find your perfect food blogger
Eye-catching, grammable pictures of food combined with interaction is a magic marketing mix. To partner with a successful influencer or blogger is a perfect way to boost your Instagram presence. A free meal for the blogger in return, you’ll get exposure and some awesome pictures of your food. To make this partnership work for your restaurant. Reach out to foodie accounts that have followers within 20-50k bracket. These bloggers love to share food experiences, have an engaged follower base. But they won’t charge excessively for working with you, so it’s the sweet spot for a new restaurant.
Make your restaurant’s Instagram about your people
Use your Instagram account to humanize your restaurant brand. Food pictures are great, but people want to connect with your brand. So humanize your restaurant by sharing real pictures and videos of people that work in your restaurant. Encourage your employees to post about your restaurant, sharing their experiences or their favourite menu choices. Sharing the people behind your restaurant, their stories and their passions. Showcases what makes you unique, increasing that all important engagement with your brand.
Engage, engage, engage
We know you know, but we’ll still say it again anyway because it’s very important. People love to engage with people, so make genuine interaction with your followers your target. Re-gram their content, reply to comments speedily and take the time to ask for and genuinely listen to any feedback about your restaurant from them
Engagement builds loyal customers and these loyal customers will make your restaurant a success. They’ll more likely share their great experiences, tag their friends and post pictures of your food. Contributing to the positive social proof you want to get those important customers into your restaurant.
Learn from restaurants killing it on Instagram
California donuts
This brand appears on various “Best Restaurants on Instagram” lists for a reason! These gorgeous pictures of bright, happy donut creations will certainly bring you tons of inspiration. Please try not to drool on your phone.
Taco bell
Taco bell has one of the largest followings on Instagram. But Iconosquare’s has it that a brand index has an impressively high engagement rate. Which speaks about the brand’s ability to really connect with that audience. So, what will you learn by following this fast food giant? When in doubt, just have fun with your Instagram account and your fans! Taco Bell really excels at churning out bright, fun, eye-catching pictures.
Sweet green
A brand that has done well on how to use Instagram to highlight its brand story and values. Right in their bio, you will see “make food with purpose, from scratch.” The visual content then carries the brand’s farm to table message further. By showcasing fresh ingredients, local growers and seasonal menu items.
Piada Italian street food
Here’s a good example of a restaurant that isn’t a huge national chain. And yet is doing well with their Instagram marketing game. This particular account has everything. Stunning pics and a consistent brand image. They regularly incorporate video into their content. Piada does an excellent job using IG to feature and preview their seasonal offerings. They were equally one of the first brands we saw doing creative things with their Instagram story. Likee to tease a contest in their posts but only share the details in their Story.
Creative Instagram restaurant marketing ideas
Feature posts from customers
When you see a post from one of your followers. Ask them if you allowed to share their image on the restaurant account. This form of restaurant Instagram marketing will aid you create quality posts with just little effort. Gain credibility and trust by posting good reviews from a third party. And build personal relationships with your followers. Customers always want to feel like they’re buy from places that they know and trust. By partnering with your followers on posts. They always feel like they are a part of the restaurant family and feel more loyal to your business.
Take them behind the scenes
Make your followers feel valued through showing them things on your Instagram account. That normally they would not be able to see during their time in the restaurant. Take photos or videos of your food prep. By showing members of your staff. You are showcasing their work and creating familiarity between them and your customers through your restaurant Instagram marketing.
Participate in a “takeover”
Partner with other local restaurants to do “takeover” day. You will each other’s Instagram accounts or restaurants for a day. During this “takeover,” you will work with the chef of the other restaurant. To be able offer some of their popular dishes and they will offer yours at their restaurant. This restaurant Instagram marketing strategy helps to build a good relationship between small businesses. Loyal customers of the partnering restaurant will be introduced to your restaurant and be encouraged to give it a try.
Show off popular dishes and drinks.
This is one of the most obvious and widespread use of restaurant Instagram marketing. This encourages your followers to share with their friends, especially when they have eaten the dish you’re promoting. Showing one of your most popular items not only reminds your followers of the great experience they had. But it will clearly show new customers what you’re known for.
Introduce new items
When your menu is getting a refresh, show your followers what they might look forward to. This kind of marketing strategy is relevant to both your regular customers and new customers. Regular customers might be hesitant to order something new on the menu. But seeing what it looks like will entice them to give it try. New customers may equally feel inspired to come by and order the item when it’s a unique dish that they can’t get anywhere else.
Ways to grow your restaurant’s Instagram followers & engagement
Instagram is a social media channel that thrive well on engagement and followership. Let’s consider some ways to grow your restaurant’s Instagram followers and engagement:
Captions matter, seriously
A question now how good are your restaurant Instagram post captions? Of course, we know that Instagram is image-based. And everyone knows that. But how many times have you gone to comment or like on that hilarious cat photo. Only to get to the account and be so annoyed by the lack of wit in the comment. That you may not even bring yourself to like it. Captions will help you solidify a consistent tone to tie together with your theme of images. They will equally connect to your followers and show you how to put thought into what you do in your field. Always treat your captions as though you’re speaking right to your best guests. Careless captions will turn away knowledgeable of people within your niche and confuse your brand message.
Focus on liking & commenting on pictures within your restaurant’s niche
Like and comment on related Instagram posts will accumulate to boost your brand. When someone gives you a compliment, you need to give them one back, right?
It’s like that on Instagram, too. One of the best ways to attract people to come to your Instagram and see what you’re all about. Is by liking or commenting on a pictures on their page so they will follow your handle back to your account. And hopefully, they will like or comment on your picture or maybe even follow you. Take out the time to find accounts within your niche market and then like 5-10 photos and leave a comment or two. Do this every day. Why is focusing on only accounts within your niche much important? Because they’re managed by the people who are likely to be interested enough in your own brand to like or comment back.
Think about this: you’re a restaurant brand and you go about liking and commenting all over a footwear designer’s Instagram. There are chances that followers on that page will be more interested in something to add to their closets. Not their weekend plans. So, your chances to engage with the right people there would be slim.
Ask for action
Always in your post have a call to action Don’t Just ask people to like you, right? For that one it’s just that easy!
When you post to your account, think about how to add a call to action (CTA) into your caption. This will solicit a response from your viewers and/or followers. It mustn’t have to be complicated. Just something short and sweet. For example, under a picture of a massive bar selection with a text that overlay it reads “It’s 7 o’clock somewhere,” you might add the caption, “Like if you agree with me!”.
Keep your photos consistent with your restaurant’s brand
Your Instagram account is an extension of your business and your brand. So make sure that the pictures you post stay true to what you’re all about. People that decided to follow your restaurant on Instagram. Choose to do so because there’s something they love about your brand. They need more of it, so give it to them!
Imagine, think and reason what your brand is all about. What are the words that best define and describe it? Keep your photos aligned to those core traits. For example, a local bar would like to focus on the drinks, atmosphere, and experience through the eyes of a guest. When an account like that include photos of the mess after a crazy party. Or images not directly related to the brand, the overall theme would be disrupted completely. Consistency in pictures will keep attracting the right kind of followers. Ones who appreciate your brand and who will thoughtfully on their own engage. It equally demonstrates professionalism and your authority as an expert in your niche.